1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computer systems and, more particularly, to file-based storage systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer systems often process large quantities of information, including application data and executable code configured to process such data. In numerous embodiments, computer systems provide various types of mass storage devices configured to store data, such as magnetic and optical disk drives, tape drives, etc. To provide a regular and systematic interface through which to access their stored data, such storage devices are frequently organized into hierarchies of files by software such as an operating system. Often a file defines a minimum level of data granularity that a user can manipulate within a storage device, although various applications and operating system processes may operate on data within a file at a lower level of granularity than the entire file.
In some file-based computer systems, various types of information about files, also referred to as metadata, may be stored in addition to the files themselves. However, in typical conventional computer systems, support for metadata is limited to a small number of fixed types of file attributes that may not be augmented if additional file information is desired. Further, the procedure for accessing metadata may be limited to identifying a given file and then retrieving its associated metadata, rather than a more flexible procedure.
Additionally, in complex computing environments, numerous applications may be provided, each of which may interact with files and storage devices to perform specific functions. In some cases, each of several applications may be configured to perform a particular step of a complex, multi-step transaction. However, such applications may have limited ability to interact or coordinate with one another, which may require a considerable degree of intervention on the part of a system user to coordinate transaction processing.